The Hidden Knight
by Darkford
Summary: Get comfy. A reboot of Blacklight in its deepest roots, but not the same story by any stretch of the imagination. Expect dark themes, sorta long chapters, and things that not everyone is comfortable with. If you aren't comfortable with same-gender relationships, I warn that it is an essential element of this one. Enjoy. Rated T for dark themes. On hiatus. Ugh.
1. Chapter 1

Gwen's mornings were often the same. She would wake up, she would stretch, she would shake out the crookedness from whatever position she had decided to sleep in the night before, and she would get up good as new and ready for a new day in Inkopolis. She thought once more that she was glad her parents had finally decided, on her sixteenth birthday, that they couldn't stop her from growing up, and she immediately drove to Inkopolis and started out her career doing what she loved.

Turf Wars.

She wasn't half bad at it, either. With an A- in ranked and a crazy high score, both with coverage and with splats, she was good enough to make her way comfortably. She was still sorting out a pile of gear to switch around when she wanted, but that was okay. Most of the things she wanted wouldn't disappear tomorrow.

She ran from her house to Inkopolis Plaza. She was once again thankful that she didn't have to take the stuffy old train, and let sunlight embrace her as she made her way to Inkopolis.

In her mind, the same thoughts as always went through her head.

 _I bet she'll be there by now. She always is._

 _Oh, I can't wait!_

A smile spread on her face as she slowed down at the plaza and caught sight of her best friend.

Her only friend, but then again, with a friend like her, who could ask for more?

"Gwen," Torri smiled, gentle brown eyes settling on her friend. Torri, unlike most Inklings nowadays, smiled with her eyes, and Gwen thought it was far prettier than a line of teeth. There was a detailed web of emotions that she portrayed through her eyes, and as much as Gwen loved it, she could never bring herself to stare for too long before feeling awkward, which meant she had yet to understand the full complex of her mind that one could see in her eyes.

Torri could stare very, very well, though. She had stares for every situation.

"Torri!" Gwen called, waving. Torri walked over, breaking her hello-my-friend stare, and waved herself, though it was merely a brief greeting. It was barely needed any more; the two were too close, really, for proper greetings.

"Turf Wars again today?" Torri suggested, hopefully.

"Yeah," Gwen agreed, "But I need to buy something from Annie first."

"Which means you want me to go buy it," Torri guessed.

A sheepish smile was accompanied by a points card.

"I'll be right back." Torri waved and walked off.

 _I'm kind of glad that Torri doesn't bother to pay attention to Moe,_ Gwen considered absently, watching a bird fly away. _I can barely stand him for more than five seconds._

"I'm back," Torri said into Gwen's ear, making her jump.

Gwen tried to look upset, but all she managed was a short burst of laughter. Torri smiled again, and there was a silent agreement as the two walked towards Inkopolis Tower, Torri handing back Gwen's point card.

* * *

"Not long now," Gwen grinned, her Splatterscope off the belt on her waist and instead in her hands.

Torri nodded agreement, holding her Inkbrush like someone would hold a broomstick. Just then, the system started up, and the two were pulled into Cyberspace.

They were promptly dropped onto Saltspray Rig. Thankfully on the same team for once.

Gwen shared a short grin with Torri before the buzzer rang. Like usual, Torri launched forward instantly and made a clear path for Gwen before she could charge her Splatterscope. Sighing and leaping down, she waved her thanks before climbing up and setting up to shoot at anyone that came by.

She managed to snipe a few Rollers and shoo away the E-Liter on the other side with quicker, threatening shots, and she held her next charge. Watching her team mates charge into the main area, she adjusted herself again and waited.

For a few seconds she wondered why she wasn't being attacked at all, but she brushed it off.

* * *

 _This is a serious workout._

Torri stretched and looked at the absolute carnage before her. She had managed to splat three people in the last five seconds, all of which were after Gwen.

Of course, it was a silly thing, to go after Gwen in a turf war where Torri was involved. Torri smirked, slinked into the shadows, and leaped out again as all four of the team members came rushing at her.

A quick jump dispelled the danger of the E-Liter for a while yet, and Torri grinned. She boosted off of the nearby wall and twisted. The result was a tornado of Ink being launched full power towards the group of opponents.

"OH Sh-" One of them bit off as he was splatted. Torri swung around the final charger and cackled before splatting her as well. Torri smiled grimly.

"Say goodnight..." she whispered.

Then the buzzer rang.

* * *

"YES!" Gwen exclaimed, holding the new set of headphones above her. "They're perfect!"

"I'm glad it was worth it," Torri said, wearing her I'm-happy-for-you stare. This one made Gwen nervous, because it hinted to sadness and a strange feeling that something was missing, but she ignored it for the moment. She had her new headphones, and for that, she was happy.

* * *

Gwen headed home soon after that; after their customary hot chocolate, it was heading home that marked the end of a day. She ran back, just because she could, and hopped into her apartment gleefully.

The bright room was a symbol of her freedom. Small but quaint, with paintings, a small kitchen, a sofa and a small TV. A washing room with what she needed, a bathroom, a bedroom, a closet.

She stood in front of the open-concept window and watched as Inkopolis flashed to life in an array of lights, like many stars all blinking to life at once.

"Gwen!" Called a voice from below.

Gwen peered out her window, and her heart began to flutter. "Elwyn!"

"Are you and Torri having fun with turf wars?" The blue-tentacled Inkling called from the street.

"Yeah!" Gwen replied. In reality, her mind was thinking something else.

 _OmigoshOmigoshOmigosh_

 _It's Elwyn_

 _he's talking to me_

 _Gwen calm down!_

"We just did the usual!" Gwen continued, hoping he would continue the conversation.

"Aw, no hot chocolate for me?" he whined comically. "I should start joining you guys! Then maybe I'll get some hot chocolate!"

Gwen laughed, and started to talk again, but as she began she heard a quick gasp.

"Elwyn?" Gwen asked.

Silence. Then a distant scream.

"Gwen!"

Her head snapped around, and her eyes locked with those of her best friend.

"I'll chase after that freak!" Torri called, pulling her Inkbrush. "You call the police!"

"Uh, uh, right!" Gwen replied nervously, dashing inside.

* * *

 _I can't fail._

Torri used her Inkbrush to go faster, ignoring the law briefly, and managed to start gaining on the rouge Inkling, who had Elwyn in his arms.

 _Gwen would be heartbroken if anything happened to Elwyn._

 _Just as heartbroken as me._

 _I can't let that happen._

New determination filled Torri as she began to catch up even more. She felt her legs screaming but she didn't care right now. All she could do was hope to the heavens above that her awful health wouldn't harm her mission.

She didn't particularly like Elwyn, but Gwen must have seen something she didn't, because she loved him unconditionally. It wasn't something Torri felt she had a right to intervene in.

 _If this is what makes Gwen happy, I'll do anything to help it be achieved._

Her body forgot itself, went numb as she launched herself forward and swiped at the squidnapper, knocking him over and giving Elwyn the chance to run for his life. The criminal hissed violently and pulled a weapon on her.

Torri didn't hesitate to hold her weapon to his neck.

"Leave him alone," Gwen said simply.

"Not wise, girl," The husky tone replied, an awkward, broken grin on his face. He opened fire.

Torri twisted in a complicated way as she dodged the blue-white ink bullets, unable to swipe at him, and she hissed instinctively before dashing around her target.

He was calling someone on his phone, but she didn't care. Dashing forward in an attempt to take advantage of the opening, he merely swung his arm to one side and knocked her at least three meters away.

She growled internally as she got up. She thought briefly that there was an ache in her arm, but she ignored her pains and instead focused on the pulsing anger in her brain.

 _How DARE he._

She felt instability return, after months with it being gone, and all she could manage to say was an inaudible swear, before her anger took over. Swinging onto her feet, she launched herself at him again, ignoring the bullets trying to leech their way through her shirt and swiped at him until the plastic part of her inkbrush finally knocked him over.

He hissed, threw down an ugly black bomb, and promptly exploded, launching her away into an alley. She stopped moving.

 _I hurt all over. Something's wrong. Why aren't I being sent to my spawn point?  
_

She crawled away, desperate.

 _If Gwen saw me like this, it might tear her apart..._

* * *

"Elwyn!" Gwen cried, forgetting herself. She full-body tackled him, and the two fell on the ground.

"I'm fine," Elwyn assured her. "Where's the squid who saved me?"

"What?" Gwen said. "But I thought-"

"Stop! You're under arrest!" A loud, shaky voice called from not far away. The pair turned to see a short, orange-tentacled inkling holding one of the city weapons at them.

"Oh, wait, you two are civilians," he grumbled, lowering the City Splattershot. "You seen a squidnapper around here?"

"Yes," Elwyn said. "I was the one he squidnapped, until this person came rushing through with an Inkbrush and chased him that way." Elwyn pointed.

"Right," the policeman said, more confidently. "C'mon, guys, let's move in." He ran at a steady, quick pace, and the parade of police followed him.

Turning a corner, they were met with a grim sight.

The whole place was vacated, black liquid in a large pool on the ground, and two well-defined circles at the edges. In the center were the remnants of a small splat bomb.

"It looks like Oil, sir!" an examiner called, handling a portion of the liquid with very strong gloves.

"Two potential deaths, then," he cringed, nervously messing with his weapon in his hand. "Ugh. I think I've lost my appetite for tonight's supper." He walked over, and inspected what specks of ink were left.

One was a bright blue-white colour, and it was far lighter than any he'd seen before.

"He's probably mortally wounded at his base," the officer mused. "which gives us time."

Another examiner walked over with a small sample of ink. "Sir?"

"Yeah?" the officer acknowledged.

"We can't identify it. There's no spawn point keyed to it, or if there is it was recently destroyed or broken."

"Which means that its owner is dead," the officer groaned. "A suicide bombing gone wrong, except that the bomber survived." He shook his head. He felt bad for the civilian, but it couldn't be helped. It was the way of this criminal to find his victim and disable their spawn point, before destroying it. Then, of course, he killed them.

"Who did this?" Gwen said disbelievingly.

"Hey, you're a civilian, move back," the officer grumbled.

"But my friend went this way!" Gwen retorted.

The Officer seemed briefly upset, but instead, he said, "We need to identify the people who were splatted here and get them to recovery. Stand back."

One of the examiners came over with the ink sample again, and Gwen squealed displeasure.

"Torri's... Torri's ink!"

"You know who it belongs to?" The officer asked seriously.

"Yes," Gwen replied.

"I know where her spawn point is," Elwyn added.

"Lead the way, then." the officer requested, waving over an officer on standby.

"What about me?" Gwen asked.

"Just stay calm, and wait." The officer requested, feeling now was not the right time to tell her her friend was probably murdered.

* * *

"Thought as much," the spare officer said when they saw the wrecked status of the house.

The house, even before it was intruded, was crumbling and old. There was barely any space for one inkling, and it looked like Torri had made the best of a bad situation. It was homely, if a complete dump.

Then, of course, there was the fact that her bedroom was wrecked and her spawn point destroyed.

"What does this mean?" Elwyn asked with dread in his voice.

"That she's dead," the officer replied simply.

Elwyn considered, head hung low. "Can you do me a favour?"

"What is it, kid?" He asked, with hints of gentle sympathy in his voice.

"Don't tell Gwen about this." Elwyn held back a whimper. "She's... sweet, but terribly fragile. She'd be so heartbroken that it would ruin her."

"What, you like her or something?" the officer asked, though his voice was calm and soothing.

"Not especially," Elwyn admitted, "but anyone, I'm sure, would ask you this. Gwen relied on Torri for her strength. That's just how they worked; Torri was the support, Gwen the angel that resulted. If her support is gone..." Elwyn shook his head.

"I see." the officer nodded. "It would tear her apart mentally to know. I'll call base and alert the officers on this."

"Thank you," Elwyn said sincerely. The officer nodded, and with a brief, sympathetic smile, he left.

Elwyn went into Torri's room. It seemed empty and broken, to him. Just a bed and a stand with three drawers.

He sorted through the drawers, and what piqued his interest was a little red book. He decided to pocket it for later, feeling slightly guilty but not enough to stop, and opened it.

"Woah."

Filled to the brim with drawings, poems and passionate notes, all about Gwen.

This scared him.

He knew, however, that Torri, as lonely and strange as she was, was not mad, and was indeed very self-aware. She would never have done anything to Gwen or her friends. She would have been aware of her obsession, taken steps to prevent it. Perhaps this was one of them.

He sighed and closed the book, putting it in his jeans pocket. If he ever needed to explain what happened to Torri, it might be something Gwen would want.

* * *

Torri's world was pain.

Only minutes earlier the panicky rush of overworked adrenaline had worn off, and now all she could feel were aches and pains all over her body. She cringed as she accidentally pulled on some bruised Ink, considered switching into squid form, then re-evaluated the intelligence of that decision. Groaning, she pulled herself to a lying down position on one side so she could contemplate the intelligence of protecting Elwyn.

 _You protected the love of her life._

Despite her terrible situation, she smiled to herself, thinking of how glad Gwen would be that Elwyn was okay.

 _You brought her more happiness. She's happier with Elwyn alive then with you alive._

Torri felt a new wave of pain assault her as she twisted in discomfort.

 _I am Gwen's best friend._ Torri told herself. _Don't die, Torri. Not yet.  
Gwen needs you._

Torri pulled herself up, ignoring the screams of pain that her leg were feeling, and walked. This late at night, there were no people to see her crawling around. She walked for a long time.

She leaned her weight against a wall and stumbled her way towards home.

After that, her thoughts and memories were jumbled, but along the way she picked up a large, raggedy black cloth. It may have once been a beautiful cloak, perhaps for a masquerade party, but now all there was was an old set of rags to be thrown away, thrown onto Torri's back to keep her safe and warm.

She fell over, at some point, and finally, she slept.

* * *

A/N: Welcome to the unexpected story. It's basically where I was trying to go with my first ever project, Blacklight, but a bit different. It's a bit more true to itself, and I've got more skill now, so I expect it will be better. If anyone's wondering, the names are all pulled from Welsh. Gwen means white/holy, Torri (from my very questionable sources) means broken, and Elwyn is a variant of Alvin, meaning Noble Friend. Don't expect fast updates, but hope for big ones.


	2. Chapter 2

Torri felt... better. Her legs ached, and she felt like parts of her skin had been pulled away, but they were likely just the remnants of pain from the burning oil. Otherwise, the night in the skatepark and the morning hidden away below Saltspray Rig had for the most part healed her.

She was one who took pride in her endurance.

Stretching, she wondered for a bit what her course of action should be.

 _If I go back out there, reveal I'm alive..._

 _That guy will come after me again. Either he'll hurt me, or he'll hurt Gwen, or he'll put both of us in mortal danger._

 _Scratch that idea._

She frowned, hugging herself in the cloak for warmth.

 _If I hide... I'll have to steal, or at least take from the city reserves._

 _I may as well. I'll repay people later, I'm sure they'll understand._

She pulled the ragged edges around her, longing for one of the big hugs that she occasionally shared with Gwen.

 _I need to protect Gwen. I can't leave her alone, not at a time like this._

 _Not ever._

She calmed herself.

 _Gwen. I will always protect you._

She smiled, feeling warmth behind her eyes as she blinked back the tears with experienced care.

 _I need an identity. A way I can appear before her without knowing who I am._

 _This cloak will take part._

She got up, brushed herself off, and organised the old cloak so that she looked like a beggar.

 _First stop. My house._

* * *

Torri weaved her way through the city expertly, manoeuvring herself to be as small and unnoticeable as possible as she creeped down alleyways and snuck past busy roads.

She hadn't quite thought ahead to how she was going to get in, but luckily the door was open and the place roped off. With a quick movement, she slipped inside. Hiding herself just beyond the doorframe, she glanced about, then moved quickly upstairs.

As she'd suspected, her spawn point was a total wreck. She groaned inwardly at the idea of being near death every time someone splatted her, but shook it off.

 _I need to be strong._

She walked to her room, which was also wrecked.

 _So they found my emergency spawn, too._

Maybe under the bed hadn't been the best idea. She ignored it and surfed through her closet for her Black Inky rider and, after a brief decision, the Octoling Boots she'd found once when she helped out at the Lost Octolings support group. Putting them on, she went to the mirror in her bathroom and nodded approval.

Just then, there was a dull bang downstairs, and Torri took the only safe route she knew.

Out the window it was.

* * *

The alleyway went unexplored as she heard the voices of gruff men as they entered her room. She frowned before dashing away, not waiting to see if they'd find her.

She quickly felt the fatigue that brought itself on when she felt ill, but ignored it once more to run for the Skate Park again. She wasn't quite sure what to do next, but she figured the park was a good idea.

She found a dark corner and changed into the black clothing as quickly as she could. Feeling a little better about herself, she sat down.

 _I need an identity, with which to appear to the public._

She curled inward, thinking about who she was.

 _This is for you, Gwen._

A moment of inspiration hit her.

 _I am... her protector. Until someone else can be her Knight in shining armour, anyway._

She shook herself.

 _I protect from the shadows. I am always there for her._

 _I am hidden._

 _I am..._

 _I am the Hidden Knight._

A warmth filled her, even though the night was cold.

 _I protect her. Until her dreams come true, I am her Knight. The Knight she never knows she has, that protects her until the day someone in shining armour sweeps her off her feet._

The decision was made. In her mind, her thoughts resonated, all echoing the singular phrase that represented her new identity.

 _I am the Hidden Knight._

* * *

The morning brought Gwen an odd feeling in her chest. She hadn't seen Torri all of yesterday, and her heart was heavy as she longed for the phone to ring. It didn't, so she got up.

She walked outside today. For one of the only times in her life, she didn't feel like running.

There wouldn't be anyone to greet her anyway.

* * *

Gwen was pleasantly surprised.

"Hey!" Elwyn said, grinning. "Nice to see you aren't too down in the dumps."

"Hi, Elwyn," Gwen replied, smiling weakly. "Have you seen Torri?"

"Nah," He replied sheepishly, "but from what I know the police have her in for questioning about that guy from before."

"Huh," Gwen said, tilting her head. "I guess she's okay, then." She felt a bit miffed that Torri hadn't called her, but she decided not to bother.

"Yeah," Elwyn agreed. "C'mon, what do you say to some friendly turf wars?"

Gwen felt her heart fly past the stars, and in a flash they were both headed for Inkopolis Tower.

* * *

Torri felt lonely.

She had decided to wait out the daytime to do anything, but it was infuriating to watch people go in and out of Inkopolis Tower. She was sort of desperate to unleash unholy rage on someone. Instead, she sat in the alleyway near Inkopolis tower, watching as Inkling after Inkling walked by, not even sparing her a second glance.

She thought for a bit, until she caught sight of Gwen and Elwyn going into the tower.

 _Gosh, it's tempting to follow them._

She thought about the arenas being played that day.

 _If I recall, the Skate Park is one right now... maybe if I'm quick about it..._

She got up and began running to the Skate Park.

* * *

 _Yes! I got here in time!_

Torri bent her knees to help support her and keep her hidden as she stood on a tower not far away, watching as the match began. She smiled as her friend took position at the right side of her side of the arena, and began to expertly take out the enemy team.

Elwyn, as she had recently remembered, was particular to the Gal family, and it turned out today that he was using the .52 one today. He wasn't a bad player himself, but Torri was sure he still had a ways to go.

She adjusted her seat for a more comfortable position, using her hands to support herself, when she noticed something... off.

On the blue side of the map, there was an orange player stuck in a pool of blue ink. A blue player was advancing on her, but he wasn't shooting at her.

He reached out with one hand, and she cowered even more than she already was.

 _Huh?_

 _Is she hurt, or...?_

 _Better check this out._

Torri's sympathetic heart broke down again as she jumped down, cushioning her fall with one hand, and ran over, hiding carefully.

"Are you okay-" The boy asked, before the girl whimpered and smacked him.

"Go away!" She screeched.

"I'm just asking if you're okay!" He grumbled. "Look, I can see you've done something to your leg. Just calm down."

She shook her head. "Leave me alone! Don't touch me!" Torri briefly remembered how this worked.

 _Of course, both of them would be splatted for breaking the 'hands off' rule... and with an injured leg... ouch._

 _Course, I'm not part of this battle. I can always just take her back to the base..._

Torri sighed and gave in, before dashing forward and scooping the girl up. It was convenient that she was so small.

"Wha-" She gasped, but didn't have a chance to even speak before Torri started dashing to the other base.

 _I can't really carry her in squid form, so I'll have to get past them without using squid form, while carrying her._

 _An interesting challenge..._

She extended herself to get past faster, hopping over a few stray shots from a nearby scuffle and swinging past the main tower in the center. She stopped for only a moment, to reassess the situation, before deciding that running around to the left was best.

She leaped over a grate, using one hand for support, and returned it to extra support for the injured girl, and she strafed past a few tosses of an Inkling's bucket. He blinked, then stopped, and Torri nodded respectfully before running past.

She felt the air move, and before long she heard footsteps behind her.

"Is she okay?!"

 _I'd know that voice anywhere._

Torri turned instinctively, and saw her friend staring at her. It made her nervous to be so close to her, but it was quite obvious that her friend didn't recognise her.

"Here! Let me help you," She insisted, running over to help. Torri gave her a weak smile.

 _Always the kindest heart in the room, aren't you?_

Torri looked down, hoping that her cloak would cover her face enough, and the two carried her back to the blue base.

"Thank you-" the girl began, but Torri wasn't sticking around.

 _They'll ask who I am. It might ruin everything. I'm sorry._

She leaped over the walls of the Skate Park and dashed away as swiftly as she could.

* * *

 _That was close. I need to stop doing that._

She stretched as she walked down an alleyway that was becoming familiar. She watched as, even as she walked, the moon began to rise.

A distant sound caught her attention, and she stopped to listen.

 _Someone screaming..._

 _This is Gwen's neighbourhood..._

Torri freaked.

Running as fast as she could, she skirted around trash cans and discarded clotheslines in an attempt to get there faster.

 _It might be Gwen out there._

Torri hoped to the great squids above that it wasn't Gwen, leaping over an overturned garbage bin and spinning into the streets even as her hand reached for her Inkbrush, stealthily hidden away and strapped to her back.

Dark shapes seemed to float across the plaza, although with closer examination it was obvious a dark-blue tentacled girl was screaming as someone chased her.

 _Gwen's tentacles are dark blue._

Torri reacted instantly. For the moment she forgot that most of the inkling population, including herself, had dark blue as a default colouration, and she immediately launched herself at the attacker, a gangly man with sharp eyes.

He hissed as Torri distracted him and dashed around him, occasionally swiping at him to try and shoo him away. He obviously wasn't backing down, however, so she took a more aggressive approach.

She pushed off the ground and twisted, sending a tornado of ink in front of her. Then she used the end of her Inkbrush to send it at him. She didn't care that her hands were now covered in ink; he was nearly down.

She took a shot to her side as he launched a shot, but she endured it and struck him with her weapon, sending him back to whence he came.

As she turned, the girl ran up to her and hugged her on one side. Torri felt slightly awkward for a moment, but let it subside. Looking at her more closely, Torri sighed as she realised it wasn't Gwen; this girl's tone was far too light to be Gwen, and Gwen was taller than her.

The girl stopped hugging her and stared at Torri. "T-thank you. I was so scared..."

Torri nodded respectfully, and began to walk away.

"Uh, wait!" she exclaimed, grabbing Torri's cloak. "Who... who are you?"

Torri cleared her throat.

 _I hope my raspy voice is good enough to pass as male._

"I am the Hidden Knight," she mumbled, making sure to mask it with the tone of a sore throat and letting the quiet tones act as a second protection. Then, desperate, she twisted to deter the girl, and she ran.

"Wai-" she called, but it was too late.

Torri was gone.

* * *

Torri felt guilty for leaving the girl alone again, so she followed in the shadows until she got home. She sighed in relief as an older woman shared a hug with her and the two went inside a small house near the plaza.

She wondered, then, where she would sleep. It would do her no good to be sleepy.

"I guess an alleyway will have to do," she mumbled to herself, but just then she felt a hand grab her arm.

"You there!" it hissed.

Torri took advantage of the awkward position and with a strong pull threw the attacker over her head.

"Stronger than I thought, then," he mumbled. "I'm not here to hurt you or anything, I promise."

Torri reassumed her raspy male voice. "You are?"

"My name's Justin," he explained. "I'm a police officer near here..." Torri refrained from dashing off at full speed, instead nodding slowly.

"I'm here to ask if anyone has been attacked recently," he continued, prompting Torri to become curious. "Someone's been going around the neighbourhood attacking people, and he's particularly dangerous." Torri nodded and pointed to the house she saw the girl go into.

"What about that house?" Justin asked simply.

"Girl there was attacked," Torri answered, before starting to walk away.

"Uh, thanks, sir!" Justin called, and Torri smiled to herself, glad her voice-masking had worked. She turned down into an alleyway and slinked away into the darkness.

* * *

Torri felt slightly miffed that her anonymity didn't last long at all, but that was entirely her fault.

The next morning, she was on the news, and although no-one had gotten a picture of her, they must have hired some artists to do brief sketches. As she hid in her customary alley and listened to the morning news, she heard 'Hidden Knight' said multiple times.

"From what we know," Callie explained, "he's a do-gooder thief. We have reports that he's been around protecting citizens, particularly girls, but he's otherwise avoided police and has been sighted hanging around suspicious areas, leading to the assumption that he is a criminal."

"In particular," Marie picked up, "it was reported that he splatted Jadon Mooney, 24, a dentist who was caught after he was reported yesterday having attempted assault on Tiera Manda, 15, in a public space, although the use of ink weapons in public spaces is banned for all but the police."

"It is assumed that the Hidden Knight may be homeless, as he is shown to be a kind soul." Callie finished. "Next up..."

Torri sighed. She got up and began to walk towards Spyke's customary alley.

He'd know where Gwen was.

* * *

A/N: Wheee! Look guys I write stuff!

Enjoy the chapter. (Torri wasn't going to get anonymity, and no-one told her this would be easy. Because it isn't.)


	3. Chapter 3

Spyke was a kind soul. Like with Moe, Gwen was slightly scared of him, not because of what he was but because he spent his time in an alley with a pointy screwdriver and a suspicious pile of Super Sea Snails and Shells. Torri was a bit more insightful, but she was nonetheless wary in Spyke's alley.

"Wot can I do for ya?" he asked, and Torri exerted a portion of her overdone will to stop herself from jumping visibly.

"Have you seen an Inkling named Gwen?" Torri asked, adopting her husky voice.

"Blimey," he said. "Youse must be-"

"Hush!" Torri hissed, panicky. "Just, look. Do you know anything about her whereabouts?"

"Right," Spyke said, nodding. "Gwen. Last I checked she was headed for the hospital."

Torri held a hand to her mouth and inhaled sharply.

 _Oh no._

"From what I know," Spyke continued, "She's looking for this gal named Torri. Two peas in a pod, those girls. 'Parently Torri's in hospital."

"Thank you," Torri said honestly, dipping into a brief bow. A moment later, she was weaving discreetly towards the clean white building.

"Wonder why she hidin' her identity," Spyke mused, stroking a Sea Snail idly. "Never mind. I'll keep a secret."

* * *

 _Gwen is searching for you._

Torri wasn't quite sure what she was going to do. All she could really think is that she needed to intervene before Gwen found out she wasn't there.

 _Before they tell her I'm dead._

She stormed past a few small groups and came out of one alleyway only to flash across the street into the next.

 _Faster, faster, faster..._

* * *

The hospital was tall, and big, and far away. It was also in plain sight.

Torri hid in the bushes and considered with a troubled mind how to go about fixing this mess.

 _hm._

 _Maybe... yeah, that'll work._

She smiled to herself and sped as inconspicuously as possible past a phone booth, before she hid in another alleyway and started reading the large book of numbers.

 _If I can find it..._

* * *

Gwen was seriously worried.

After being told multiple times that Torri had definitely not booked in there, she finally gave up on the desk clerk and resorted to checking the plaque on each and every recovery room. It was tedious, but worth it.

 _oh, this one - no, it's Terri, not Torri._

She sighed and sat down, sliding to the floor. Maybe Torri was seriously hurt... maybe...

 _Emergency. She might be there._

Gwen shot off towards the exit, trying to get to the emergency building as fast as possible.

* * *

"Ma'am, wait!" Called a man from the desk. Gwen stopped, despite her urge to ignore him, and turned.

"What?!" she demanded.

"Phone for you," he said simply, handing it over.

She plucked it from his hands and held it to her ear.

"Gwen?" Torri's voice crackled, and the hubbub of the city droned around her like the buzzing of bees, but her voice was there to be heard.

"Torri!" Gwen exclaimed, gripping the phone tighter. _Oh thank squid, she sounds just fine._

Torri started, "I'm sorry I haven't been able to call you! They pulled me out of town to interrogate me - 'too dangerous for me in Inkopolis' apparently -" she coughed. Gwen figured she was strongly opposed to that opinion. "- so I had to head out to Calamari county just to be interrogated!"

"Really?" Gwen asked, catching herself changing her tone to the one the two used in casual conversation.

"Yeah. I'm so sorry..." Torri gulped audibly from the other side of the line. "I don't think I'll be allowed to come back for a while."

Gwen murmured a half-hearted answer, her mind somewhere else.

 _I should go be with her through this. She shouldn't have to do this alone._

She shook herself. "I'll catch a train-"

"No!" Torri said suddenly. "I mean- it's fine. Seriously, just enjoy yourself. I'll call you as often as I can, okay? It would just be... awkward... if you went to all that trouble just for me. Plus," Gwen could almost hear her friend smirk, "It gives you a good chance to grab Elwyn's attention."

"Torri!" Gwen moaned. "I keep telling you, I don't..." her words failed her and fell to murmurs, but Torri was respectable enough to stop.

"Look, point is," Torri said with finality, "I don't think I'll be back for a while. I'll call from time to time, but don't bother looking for me, okay? I'm fine. See you, Gwen." Click!

Gwen sighed and put down the phone.

"She owes me a full week of hot chocolate when she gets back..."

* * *

Torri was storming through the alleys like a disaster waiting to happen.

 _I knew it. She really likes Elwyn, I knew that, but... still._

 _It hurts._

She stopped herself from crying or sniffling, trying to dispel the growing warmth behind her eyes urging her to do the kind of thing a weaker her would do.

 _No, Torri. She isn't yours, no matter how many times you fantasize-_

 _No. Stop. Don't even think about it._

She clicked her mind into a half-dead state and she sat next to a trash can, merely focusing her all-powerful will onto not thinking about Gwen.

After about an hour of wishing she could forget her feelings, she shook herself.

 _I am strong._

 _I am her Hidden Knight._

 _I ought to be protecting her._

Torri's thoughts immediately snapped to Elwyn. She growled instinctively and stuffed her head into her hands.

 _Why? I don't want to hate anyone...  
_

Taking a deep, shaky breath, she almost thanked fate for dropping her in a situation like this, where it was logical for her to be alone, to run away.

 _At least I can cry in peace._

* * *

It was night by the time Torri finally broke out of her depressed spell. It wasn't for a good reason, either.

"She's got to be around somewhere!"

Her mind instinctively went on the alert, and with a moment's notice, she leaped onto a garbage can and clamored up a vending machine before managing to get a hand onto a rail. With renewed strength she pulled herself around the side of the building and found her way onto a low-hanging balcony. She ducked down and listened, feeling the deep, fast beats in her chest making her more nervous than she had to be.

"Dun' you think she be dead or summat?" a grating voice sprawled out in a grunt-like tone.

"Don't be ridiculous, kid," a sharper, deeper voice snapped. "There wasn't no body. Either there's a body to be found, or a body to be rid of life." He growled into the nothingness, making Torri's insides churn.

A few moments of silence sustained itself, and Torri made a huge effort not to do anything. Footsteps echoed through the alley, and she allowed herself to look, very carefully, over the edge of the balcony.

She recognised the sharp voice immediately, and her attention focused solely on him for a good few seconds as she felt her gut telling her to run for her life.

 _It's that guy. The Squidnapper Inkling._

 _What is he even doing here?_

She pulled together all her will not to do anything as he walked slowly down the alley, away from her.

A few minutes later, her squirmish efforts were rewarded. She sighed in relief and got up.

 _I must be more careful. I nearly destroyed everything._

It sickened her that she might have to stay in her current disguise for much longer than she liked.

 _How pitiful that I can't even work up the courage to capture him. I truly am weak..._

She slapped herself mentally, scolding her thoughts for always being so self-pitying. She decided to stop thinking for a bit, and after a moment, she merely hopped down into the alley and walked away, in the opposite direction.

* * *

Elwyn was... confused.

He might not have been concerned that Gwen had gone looking for Torri. He was slightly concerned that she had gone to the hospital, believing her to be there.

The fact that, moments later, Torri - or something pretending to be Torri - had called her... now _that_ scared him.

"You're sure there was nothing... nothing off about her?" Elwyn asked for the fifth time that day, as Gwen sat across from him and sipped her hot chocolate.

In a way, he could see why Torri was friends with her. She was a sweet girl, if a bit dense.

"No?" She replied, raising an eyebrow. "Why are you so convinced that something is wrong?"

 _because apparently you're being visited by a ghost phone,_ Elwyn thought, groaning inwardly. Out loud, he said, "I'm just worried. She asked you not to look for her, and it's just... a bit weird."

"Maybe she just feels that I ought to... um... well. We're always around each other, so..." she began mumbling.

"You're like two peas in a pod," Elwyn urged on. "She's always been right there by your side. She wouldn't leave you alone like this if she could do anything about it."

"She's modest," Gwen said suddenly. "Low self-esteem, that kind of thing. Maybe I should catch a train and-"

"No." Elwyn interrupted. "It's safer here. You've got connections here, you'd be alienated and in danger out there."

She stopped. Silence persisted for a few seconds, and Elwyn wondered if he had said something wrong.

"Gwen?"

"Oh! Oh, uh, right." She stuttered. "Right. Safe. Stay. Right..." She chugged down her hot chocolate, slammed a collection of bills on the table, and said, "WelpI'mgonnagoplaysometurfwarsenjoythehotchocolatebye!" before running off.

"Wai-" Elwyn cut himself off. She was already running too fast for him to keep up.

He sighed deeply, hoping that she'd be okay, and turned-

He stopped.

Something, in the bushes, watching him-

A flurry of motion, and it was gone.

For a lack of anything else to say, he stated simply, "What?"

 _Oh. Oh no._

 _We're in more danger than I thought, aren't we?_

* * *

 _Ahhh, Inkbuckets!_

Torri, in a brief moment of clarity, thought morbidly that this was quite hilarious. She had probably scared the living daylights out of Elwyn when he noticed her presence, and she was running away. It was funnier that she really oughtn't need to hide from him, though her instincts were kicking in a lot more often than before, which meant 'run for your life you inksack' was the default for a bad situation.

Now they were probably going to end up tightening defenses around them. They would then be more noticeable, which in turn would attract that squidnapper that was looking for her.

 _Ahhh, eleventh Tentacle..._

* * *

Gwen was in a mental panic.

 _Omigoshomigoshomigosh he CARES about me!_

She barely resisted the urge to squeal in excitement. The adult part of her mind was probably sighing in exasperation, but she didn't really care. She was allowed to scream like a little girl when her crush was worried about her.

Just not to his face. That would probably screw up her chances.

She briefly considered the possibility of failure, but she destroyed it soon after.

 _C'mon, Gwen! Cheer up! Con-fi-dence! Remember what Torri keeps telling you!_

 _Op-ti-mism!_

She unfroze from her standing position somewhere in Inkopolis Tower, shook herself, and walked towards the steps to the higher levels. Now was as good a time as ever to visit the café on the top floor...

She hadn't been up there long before she caught sight of a TV showing the news, though from the looks of it a replay. Hearing scattered squeals from the crowd, she unwillingly began to listen in on the nearby conversation.

"What do you think he is?" One asked her friends, gesturing excitedly. Gwen glanced up at the screen, and almost startled herself into choking on air.

The TV blared as the announcer stated in her monotone voice, "As of yet, not much is known about this mysterious man who has been sighted fleetingly around the city. He appears to be a do-gooder homeless, but while authorities are optimistic, appropriate measures are being taken to keep the citizens safe. In particular..."

She caught the edges of the conversation again, hearing 'Hidden Knight' multiple times. Her mind was spinning too much to notice for more than a fleeting moment.

 _That's the guy that I helped the other day!_

 _What should I do? I don't even... I don't want such a nice guy to be in trouble!_

 _But if he's homeless then maybe it's better-_

 _Yeah. I should go tell someone..._

Her mind wandered to the police officer from the day before. What had his badge said his name was...? ... Justin?

 _Well, better start there than nowhere._

* * *

A/N: Hey-o guys!

So you're probably wondering why the updates stopped abruptly. Thankfully I am not in a life crisis. Exams + Birthday + surprise visit to moustache land = considerable time loss.

Updates will continue as usual until the next live crisis/surprise vacation.

Catcha later!


End file.
